INDIANAPOLIS – As the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) plans to close part of I-465 on the south side of Indianapolis for pavement and bridge repairs, Commissioner Joe McGuinness says the inconvenience of a 10-day shutdown is better than lane closures lasting several months.
“I want to make sure that the men and women that are out there working, whether it’s [an] INDOT employee or one of the contractors, is to make sure those folks go home safely at the end of the workday,” says McGuinness, who says that keeping traffic off the roads removes the chance that a worker is hit by an oncoming vehicle that breaches the construction zone during lane closures.
McGuinness also adds that closing all lanes of the interstate in one direction at a time will save time and tax money.
“Our initial estimates on this project were in the neighborhood of $22 million. The bids came in at just over $10 million, so you can see a significant savings when we do a full closure like that,” says McGuinness, who adds that a one-month long inconvenience for drivers is preferable than six months of construction while restricting lanes of traffic.
Eastbound I-465 will close at 9 p.m on Friday, Sept. 14 and reopen on or before 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24.
Westbound I-465 will close at 9 p.m on Friday, Sept. 28 and reopen on or before 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9.
INDOT says the project will take care of pavement removal and replacement and concrete bridge approach replacements at four bridges along the route.
Traffic will be directed to I-65 and I-70 for detours around the construction. Those who normally use I-465 to reach 37 or 67 should use I-70 to Harding Street (Exit 78) instead. Southbound Harding Street will take you to 37 or 67 using Kentucky Avenue. Those who normally use U.S. 31 should consider I-65 as an alternate route.
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR INDOT COMMISSIONER JOE MCGUINNESS TALK ABOUT THE PLAN TO SHUT DOWN STRETCHES OF I-465 ON THE SOUTHSIDE OF INDY FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION:
Photo: RTV6
